Minn. slopes are open for late season skiing

Many Minnesotans may be weary of winter, but some are enjoying an unusually long ski season on the slopes.

The three biggest ski areas around the Twin Cities are staying open later this spring, some with special extended hours.

At the Wild Mountain ski area in Taylors Falls, it may be the longest season for skiers there in nearly a decade, said owner Amy Frischmon.

"I haven't looked back in the records, but I think it's been since like 2004," Frischmon said. "Typically, we'll be open to the last Sunday in March. That's what we shoot for."

She said it has been at least six years since they have come close to that.

In Burnsville, Buck Hill is staying open extra hours during the cold start to spring and is listing all 16 of its ski runs as open. Afton Alps, near Hastings, is also reporting all of its ski runs are still open, with more than 4 feet of snow still on the slopes in some areas.

Last year, the temperature hit 79 degrees in the Twin Cities on St. Patrick's Day.